Friends Forever
by dwparsnip
Summary: A childhood friend of Jennifer's comes to Atlantis. Maybe the beginning of a series. We'll see.


MGM owns SGA, even if they did abandon it in favor of SGU.

Thanks goes to DaniWilder for letting me borrow her incredible creation, the awesome Master Gunnery Sergeant Richards.

Hasn't been run through a beta, so all mistakes are mine alone.

* * *

Jennifer sat at her desk and tried to will herself to stay awake, and not for the first time in her medical career, or life for that matter, she had to admit that the Sandman was a very formidable opponent indeed. She leaned back in her chair- careful not to get her ponytail nipped between her and the chair- and slid her feet along the floor underneath her desk as she raised her arms above her head. She groaned in relief as the muscles in her arms, back, legs and neck welcomed the gentle stretch, and then sighed contentedly as she relaxed in the chair.

Jennifer didn't have to look in a mirror to know she looked every bit as exhausted as she felt. And for once, she couldn't blame it on attacks of one kind or another, or a marathon surgery needed to save someone's life, or a sleep depriving search for a cure to a fast working and deadly disease, or work of any kind. No, she was exhausted because she'd gotten used to having Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay as a cuddle bunny, and because he had been gone for three days she hadn't been able to get much sleep without him next to her.

Such was the disadvantage of having the man she loved on the preeminent off world team of Atlantis. There were missions that only they would be trusted with, things only they could do and people only they could deal with. It wasn't fair, to them or the other teams, but it was simply the way of the universe.

It was certainly the way if the Pegasus galaxy at least.

Jennifer sighed as she sat up in her chair again, the decades old admonishments from her mother about good posture ringing in her ears as she did so. She tried to focus through the gritty sleep covering her eyes on the crew rotation manifests on her laptop. New crew members were coming in and their files had to be reviewed by the city's leadership which, unfortunately during times like these, included the CMO. She'd had most of them done and she had to finish the rest now as the _Apollo_ would be dropping them off within first thing in the morning. She scrolled to the next file and her spirits lifted minutely when she realized she only had a couple of more to do, but that buoyancy fled in a heartbeat when she realized she would be able to go back to her empty quarters and, more importantly, her empty bed.

She leaned forward, resting her left elbow on her desk and in turn settling her chin into the palm of her hand, her mother's warnings of yesteryear about good posture no match for the thought of another lonely and sleepless night. Her right hand all but fell onto her laptop and her fingers lethargically moved to the keyboard. She scanned the information displayed on the screen, and after finding that person in near perfect health with no predispositions towards illness, she closed the file and opened the next one. She repeated the process two more times and finally opened the last file.

When she saw the name at the top of the file, she sat bolt upright in her chair, excitement and anticipation easily overwhelming the prevailing loneliness and despair she'd been feeling. Her eyes flew through the information- the age was right, the hometown, the schools…everything was right. _Could it really be?_ she thought hopefully as she clicked the link to open the personnel file photo. When the image finally loaded Jennifer yelped in delight and tried to contain her excitement. On the screen was a SGC file photo of one of her closest childhood friends, Christina Monroe.

Jennifer couldn't help but smile as her friend's face smiled back at her. She hadn't changed much since the last time she'd seen her friend in the flesh six years ago. Her light skin still stood out in stark contrast to her shoulder length, jet black hair which wasn't showing any gray at all, and her emerald green eyes which hadn't lost any of their brilliant luster. Jennifer glanced to her friend's stats. _Five feet, five inches tall,_ she thought, _and a hundred and twenty-six pounds. _Jennifer felt a pang of jealousy which was swiftly and unceremoniously quashed. Her eyes lost focus of the smiling face before her and her right hand, independent of the rest of her body, moved down and gently caressed her own stomach. While the child growing within her hadn't yet begun to dramatically affect her appearance, her weight was climbing upwards just a tad.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.

Her vision sharpened and Chris' face came back into focus. Jennifer leaned back in her chair again, her right hand automatically continuing to rub random patterns along her tummy, and thought back to four years ago just after Chris had been accepted to the SGC. Jennifer had had the incredibly good fortune to be on a video conference call with the SGC medical department. They'd gotten through the meeting before the time allotted for the gate to be open had expired, so she had been chatting with Dr. Lam and her colleagues about this and that. Suddenly Carolyn's face had brightened and she'd motioned for someone off camera to step into the camera's field of view. Jennifer had nearly leaped out of her chair when she'd seen Chris. Lam had let them talk for several minutes. It had allowed them an opportunity to catch up if only in a rudimentary way, but it had been so great to see her very good friend and it had thrilled Jennifer when Lam assigned Chris to be the SGC Medical liaison to Atlantis Medical. More than once in the months that followed their 'quick' calls had ended up being far longer than they should have been. In fact the last time they'd spoken at any great length about anything not work related was just after the medical lockdown a few years ago. After that Chris had requested to go off-world on medical missions, which had been approved, and their contact since had been intermittent messages at best and always brief.

Jennifer let a contented sigh pass her lips as she leaned forward and closed out the medical files before sending a message to Woolsey informing him that she'd completed her inspection of the files. That done, she eased herself up out of her chair and walked around her desk, pausing for a second to adjust the silver framed picture of her and Rodney so that it was facing where she would be sitting later. Satisfied with the frame's new angle, she breezed into the Infirmary and found a scene that she frequently hoped she'd find but didn't happen very often on Atlantis- an empty Infirmary.

Jennifer took her time wandering through her department until she reached the main desk where Sandy sat. The nurse looked up and smiled when Jennifer approached the desk. "What are you so happy about?" asked Sandy, her good natured annoyance causing Jennifer to smile back at her.

"Well," replied Jennifer as she sat down in the chair opposite Sandy, "I've finished going over the personnel files, and found out that one of my best friends is coming."

An evil glint appeared out of nowhere in the nurse's eye. "Ha! The fact that you've finally finished the files is monumental," she quipped and then laughed as Jennifer gave her a very unflattering look, "but your friend coming is cause to celebrate." Sandy looked around and gave Jennifer a conspiratorial wink before opening the desk drawer and pulling out a box of chocolates. She opened the box and held it up for Jennifer to take one, which she did after a brief deliberation.

Jennifer took a bite of the dark chocolate and let it melt in her mouth for second before chewing it. Her eyes closed and she moaned inwardly as the flavor assaulted her taste buds. She swallowed that piece and put the rest in her mouth, following the same pattern of melt and chew before finally opening her eyes. Her cheeks started burning as soon as she saw a very amused nurse watching her.

"That good is it?" asked Sandy with a laugh.

Jennifer nodded and let the chocolate slide down her throat. "Mmm-hmmm."

Sandy grinned and said, "Another one?"

Jennifer entertained the idea for a second and then rejected it with a shake of her head. "If I do Rodney will know and I'll never hear the end of it."

"Fair enough," replied Sandy as she closed the box and once again hid it from prying eyes in the desk drawer. After closing the drawer Sandy looked at her boss. "I haven't seen you this happy since you found out you're pregnant." Sandy settled in her chair as though she was expecting a long story. "Tell me about your friend."

Jennifer laughed and then sighed. Sandy was always one to get to the point. "She was my best friend growing up," said Jennifer, the happy memories that came with that simple statement making her voice soft. "She was the only one who didn't make a big deal of me being smart. She was the one who always asked me to play dolls and went with me to the local playground when we were younger. She didn't think I was a freak for skipping grades and doing college courses while everyone else my age was doing high school courses; she wasn't put off by it like the others were. We grew up together, at least until she graduated high school." A little sadness crept into her voice. "She went out of state to college and we drifted apart, but still stayed in touch. A few years ago she was recruited into the SGC and now she's coming here. She's a doctor, specializes in hematology."

"And?" asked Sandy after a moment of silence.

Jennifer shrugged but said, "She's intelligent and beautiful. Kind-hearted. I think she shunned boys for a while because of me, at least partly." She felt her lips turn into a smirk. "But she made up for it in college. Whenever we spoke she'd have a story about one guy or another. Goes a little nuts over washboard abs and big biceps, at least she used to." She shrugged again. "I haven't had any meaningful conversations with her in a while, just the basic e-mails."

"Sounds like you're really looking forward to seeing her," said Sandy.

"I am," replied Jennifer with a nod. "I really am." Jennifer looked to her watch and her eyes widened as she realized the time. "In fact, I should finish up here..."

"I have a better idea," interrupted Sandy, her face suddenly becoming stern and serious. "I think you should go and get some sleep." Jennifer immediately started shaking her head and Sandy added, "I know if I was a patient and I saw you coming towards me in your present state, I'd run out of here as fast as my legs could carry me. Dr. Cole is in, there isn't a soul around and you look like you're running in fumes!"

"I think I am," said Jennifer, the fact that someone had noticed suddenly making her feel even more tired than she had been. "I haven't been getting much sleep lately."

"I can imagine," said Sandy with a way-too-pronounced-for-Jennifer's-liking smirk. "He'll be home tomorrow?" At Jennifer's nod Sandy added, "Then you should really go and get some rest."

The two women held each other's eyes until a slight quiver in Sandy's shoulders sent them both into a spurt of heartfelt laughter.

"You're a bad influence on me, Sandy," said Jennifer as she stood up. "And thanks."

"Always a pleasure, Doctor," replied Sandy, taking the playful barb in stride. "See you later."

Jennifer nodded and headed out the door and towards the nearest transporter. A moment later she found herself in the corridor leading to her quarters and five minutes later, after setting her alarm and hugging Rodney's pillow to her stomach, she was sound asleep.

* * *

"Jen!"

"Chris!"

Their jubilant shouts brought odd looks from experienced and new Lanteans alike, but neither Jennifer nor Christina cared as they rushed towards each other. When they met they hugged for a long time, and when they parted Jennifer gave her friend a bright smile. "Welcome to Atlantis."

Christina looked around the expansive room they were in. "I know this is only like a loading bay or something," she said with child-like awe in her voice, "but this is incredible." She looked into Jennifer's eyes and smiled. "It's good to see you, Jen."

"You too," Jennifer responded warmly. "Come on before we get trampled in the rush." Jennifer guided her friend towards the nearest door and said as they moved, "Your bags will be sent to your quarters. You did the orientation session on the _Daedalus_ right?" At her friend's nod she added, "Good." They got out into the relative peace of the corridor and Jennifer looked her friend up and down. "You haven't changed a bit, Chris."

A bark of laughter escaped from Chris' mouth. "You haven't either," she said, her voice nearly musical with laughter. "You're still as bad a liar as ever."

The two friends shared a laugh and Jennifer asked, "Anywhere you want to go first?"

Christina nodded and patted her stomach for emphasis. "The famous Mess. I am starving."

Jennifer nodded slowly, a little unsure whether she'd heard her friend correctly or not. "'The famous Mess'," she repeated as they started off down the corridor. "I think that's the first time I've heard it called that."

Chris' green eyes sparkled with laughter. "Well, it was called many things on the way here, but there was some kind of snafu with the _Daedalus'_ last supply load." Her lips formed a wry smirk. "After the first week all that was left in their commissary was cream of mushroom soup and bagels. Right now I think everyone considers your Mess famous."

The two friends laughed as they approached a door. It slid open and Jennifer stepped inside the large closet like space. She was about to press the panel to transport them near the Mess when she realized she was alone in the transporter. She peered around the edge of the door to find her friend looking at her apprehensively. "It's a transporter, Chris," said Jennifer soothingly. "It's perfectly safe."

Chris was about to comment, but before she could Jennifer reached out, grabbed her arm and pulled her into the transporter. Jennifer touched the panel and a second later the door slid open revealing a new corridor, and at the end of the corridor was the entrance to the Mess.

"See?" said Jennifer, "perfectly safe." She pointed down the hallway. "And there's the Mess."

"Wow."

Jennifer laughed as she guided her friend out of the transporter. They started walking towards the Mess and Jennifer said, "That was my reaction the first time, too."

They walked into the nearly empty Mess and headed straight for the food counter. After selecting their breakfast, they stood at the front of the Mess and looked out among the tables. "Pick a table," Jennifer said. "It won't be this deserted for long." She followed Chris into the sea of tables and to the back of the room, far away from where she was accustomed to sitting with Rodney, and sat down at the table Chris had chosen.

Jennifer watched with some amusement as Chris immediately dug into her scrambled eggs and moaned contentedly.

"You try eating cream of mushroom soup and bagels for a couple of weeks," said Chris, her mouth still half full of eggs. She swallowed with an audible gulp and said, "Caldwell was even thinking about breaking out the emergency rations," before shoveling more into her mouth.

Jennifer couldn't help but laugh before taking a bite of her toast. As she chewed she watched Christina. _She really hasn't changed much at all._

"So," said Chris, bringing Jennifer out of her little introspection. "What's new with you?"

Jennifer laughed out loud and only then realized as she looked around to make sure that she hadn't brought any undo attention upon herself that the Mess had filled to near capacity. "Not too much," she said a little evasively as she placed her half eaten slice of toast onto the tray. She sighed when her lifelong friend looked up at her and gave her a suspicious look, complete with raised eyebrow and piercing glare. Jennifer shifted in her seat and sighed again. "I guess I do have some news." She looked down at her plate and said, "I'm..."

"Who is THAT?"

Jennifer looked up and found Chris' eyes focused very intently on something behind her. She turned around and saw that a certain dread-locked Satedan had wandered into the Mess. Her stomach suddenly became a home for hundreds of tiny butterflies and her heart began ticking wildly in her chest as the meaning of Ronon's appearance coalesced in her mind: Rodney was home.

Jennifer turned around and absently said, "That's Ronon." She nearly laughed at how Chris went from super excited to completely crestfallen to totally surprised in two seconds flat.

"That's Ronon?" asked Chris, her voice full of the same shock that was currently displayed on her face. When Jennifer nodded Chris dropped her fork on her tray and leaned back in her chair. "Jennifer, you lucky minx you!"

Jennifer wondered for a second if confusion could be a communicable disease because she had no idea what Chris had meant. "Excuse me?"

Chris leaned forward and pointed at the Satedan. "That's Ronon!" she said rather excitedly, and when she realized her finger was pointing him out in a very obvious way she slammed her hand down on the table and lowered her voice. "THE Ronon. The one you told me about?"

"Told you about?" asked Jennifer. _When did I tell her about Ronon?_ She thought for a second as Chris ogled Ronon. _I haven't even told her about Rodney or anyone._ Her mind raced through her memories, trying to find the time when she would have possibly mentioned Ronon to Chris. _I've barely spent any time with Ronon since the Asgard kidnapped Rodney and Daniel, so why would I have told her about him? Nothing happened that…_

"Wow, Jen," said an awestruck Christine. "He is something else. You said he was good looking and in great shape, but you didn't tell me he's hunky gorgeous."

Jennifer sat up straight in her chair as though someone had tapped her backside with an electrified cattle prod. _No, no, no…I told her about him after the medical lockdown and we almost kissed._

"I'm so jealous of you right now it's not funny," declared Chris with a pronounced pout on her lips.

"Don't be," said Jennifer after an internal search party finally located her voice somewhere down in her socks. When Chris looked at her she said, "Ronon and I aren't together." At Chris' short snort of disbelief Jennifer nodded. "It's true. We never were together. Nothing happened between us."

Christina edged a little closer. "Jen, you said you guys almost kissed, and it was obvious that you liked him." She leaned back and gave her friend an exasperated look. "You even said you liked him. A lot! What happened?"

Jennifer felt heat rise into her cheeks. She had indeed told Chris that she liked Ronon- a lot- and that she was more than entertaining the idea of pursuing something with him. "I did like him," said Jennifer softly, "and I still do…"

"Excuse me, Dr. Keller?" said a voice from the right.

Jennifer turned and found her friend Master Gunnery Sergeant Richards giving her an apologetic look. "Yes, Master Gunny?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, ma'am," said the seasoned Marine Sergeant, "but could I trouble you to pass me the salt on your table? Ours seems to be gone AWOL."

"Of course," she said as she reached for the salt shaker. She passed it to him and said with a genuine smile, "Here you go."

"Thank you, ma'am," he said as he took it from her hand.

"You're welcome, Gunny," said Jennifer as she turned to find Chris still looking at her as though she was an imbecile. She sighed resignedly, shrugged and said with a wistful smile, "It just wasn't meant to be. We're too different to be anything more than friends."

"Opposites attract," Christina pointed out with a raised eyebrow and matching smirk.

"No, Chris, I mean too different," replied Jennifer without missing a beat.

"Too different?" Chris' smirk remained firmly entrenched on her face. "You're hot, and he's hot. You'd make beautiful babies!"

Jennifer couldn't help but laugh at the exasperated look on Chris's face and the honesty in her voice. "And there's someone else."

"HA!" shouted Chris triumphantly, drawing a number of amused and confused glances from those nearby. "I knew there was a good reason." She craned her neck to look around the Mess. "So which one of these other hunky masterpieces did you manage to snag?"

Jennifer frowned. She knew Chris valued looks so much that she bordered on being obsessive, but she had hoped her friend had managed to learn to look beyond them as she had. "Looks aren't everything, Chris."

"No," her friend conceded, "but looks are a good start." She gave Jennifer a grin and said as she brought her coffee cup to her lips, "And that's pretty funny coming from someone who used to get excited and melt in her chair whenever the _Baywatch_ boys ran across the sand or dove into the water."

Jennifer looked down to the barely touched breakfast on her plate and fought to keep her cheeks from turning red even though she was well aware that that particular ship had already sailed. There was no denying the fact that the teenage Jennifer Keller had went more than a little bug-eyed at the buff bodies consistently displayed on _Baywatch_. In fact, it wouldn't surprise her if the poster of a shirtless David Chokachi was still on the back of her bedroom door in her father's house.

She looked up and gave her friend a smile that both acknowledged what she'd said was true and that it no longer applied. "That was a long time ago, Chris."

"That's true," Chris as she leaned forward, placed her elbow on the table and then rested her chin in her hand. Her eyes shone in anticipation as she said, "So? Tell me about this someone else."

Jennifer's face nearly glowed with love as thoughts of Rodney automatically surfaced in her mind. "Tell you about him. Well, he's a scientist and the most intelligent person I've ever met. He can solve problems and fix things that other people have given up on without breaking a sweat, and he's done the most amazing things." Jennifer couldn't keep the smile from coming to her lips even if she'd been tempted to try. "He's sweet, but he hasn't had a lot of experience with relationships, and for the first while there was a lot of… interesting times. But now he knows just what to do and what to say no matter what's going on with me and with us." Jennifer stopped, overwhelmed with feelings of adoration that simply telling someone about Rodney brought over her.

"You really love him don't you?" asked Chris with a hint of awe in her voice.

Jennifer was nodding before the question even fully registered. "I do, with all of my heart."

Chris smiled a warm and happy smile. "What else?"

"He's brave," Jennifer said immediately. "He's so brave, Chris. He's a scientist and before coming to Atlantis he'd never even held a gun, but he's fought the Wraith and other enemies and saved all of our lives more than once." An involuntary shiver passed through her body as a certain personal memory came to her. "And he saved me once by literally breathing life back into me." Chris' eyes widened, asking if she'd heard her right and Jennifer nodded. "I was trapped in freezing room that was being flooded with water from a broken pipe. I…I went into hypothermic shock and I remember falling into the water."

Chris' arm dropped to the table and her mouth hung open for a few seconds before she realized it and snapped it closed.

Jennifer laughed at her friend and nodded. "He came to my rescue. The door was stuck so he used an axe to break it down and he got me out of there, and then did CPR." She felt tears come to her eyes as she said, "After he brought me back, that was the first time I told him that I love him."

Chris collapsed back against the chair. "Wow, Jen," she said, "that's so… so… romantic." She gave her friend a playful glare as she reached for her coffee cup again. "I hate you."

Jennifer laughed again as she wiped the tears away with a napkin. She dropped the damp serviette on her plate and sighed. "Rodney is a special kind of guy."

Chris, who had brought the mug to her lips and taken a generous gulp, coughed the brown liquid back into the cup with a loud splash. She held the cup underneath her chin to let what had wasted over her chin to drip into her cup and not onto her uniform.

Jennifer could see something in Chris' suddenly saucer sized green eyes, almost as though an incredibly dreadful thought had occurred to her.

"Rodney?" Christina repeated carefully, almost apprehensively. She grabbed a napkin and drew it across her soiled chin, then shook her head as dread turned to horror in her eyes and on her mouth. "Not Rodney… McKay?"

All amusement fled Jennifer's body and soul at the change in her friend's voice, facial features and body language. "Yes," she managed to say as she realized what Chris was about to do, her voice so crisp and steely that she almost didn't recognize it as her own. "Dr. Rodney McKay."

Christina dropped the dirty napkin onto her plate and gave a short yet easily recognizable sound of disgust which caused Jennifer's ire to intensify. "McKay! Jen the guy is famous at the SGC for his rotten attitude." She stopped for a second and corrected herself. "Infamous is more like it. There isn't a person there that actually really likes the man." Chris held up her right index finger and added, "He's arrogant…"

"Chris," said Jennifer, her voice soft but hard as marble.

Chris added a second finger to the count. "…rude…"

Jennifer's hands gripped the edge of the table, turning her knuckles white so fast it would have impressed anyone who'd noticed. "Chris," she said, her voice a little louder and now bordering on frigid.

A third finger was added. "…condescending…"

Jennifer glared at her friend, who was so focused on verbally assaulting the man that she loved that she couldn't even be bothered to notice how upset she was getting. "Chris!"

A fourth slender finger stretched upward. "…egotistical…"

"Chris!"

Chris' thumb joined the rest in the air as she said, "…Canadian…"

"CHRIS!"

Chris' eyes bulged open and her mouth finally closed tight. When Jennifer took a second to take in her surroundings and found the Mess quiet and everyone looking at her, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was angry, so angry that she really couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so enraged, and she didn't need to be a doctor to know that that wasn't good for her and her baby. She took another deep breath and then another, only vaguely aware that Chris' demeanor had changed from stunned disgust to genuine concern.

Jennifer used her iron grip on the table's edge as leverage and pushed herself into a standing position. A soft but steady pounding had begun in her head and she felt a little dizzy, but before she could even so much as contemplate gathering her strength to keep herself from wavering, a strong hand closed around her upper right arm to keep her steady. She looked to her right and found the concerned gray eyes of Master Gunny Richards staring at her with an intensity that was unnerving, which was more than a little odd seeing as how she considered the Marine a close personal friend.

"Easy there, Doctor," the career soldier said, his voice calm and reassuring at the same time. "I've got you."

Jennifer smiled her appreciation at the Marine and said, "I think I need to rest."

Richards nodded his agreement, then put his left hand on Jennifer's lower back and moved his hand down to take hers. Jennifer nodded at him so they could go, but he surprised her by looking at Chris instead.

"Ma'am," he said in a voice that could only be heard by Jennifer, Chris and the immediate area, "have you ever met Dr. McKay?" When Chris shook her head to indicate she hadn't, Richards nodded once. "Around here, ma'am, it's wise not to go by what other people say and find things out for yourself." He gathered Jennifer closer to his body as if he was shielding her from live enemy fire. "Saves you and others a lot of grief that way."

Richards guided her away from the table- past the curious gazes and concerned faces- and towards the nearest exit without further comment. The words alone from her friend really took the sting out the anger Jennifer was feeling, and twenty feet into the corridor she smiled at Richards and said, "Thank you, Gunny, but I'm feeling much better."

Richards gave her an appraising look and Jennifer forced herself not to flinch under his intense inspection. After a moment he nodded and released her, though he didn't move very far away from her. "It was my pleasure, Doctor."

Jennifer smiled again just as Chris' voice calling her name reached her ears. Jennifer and Richards turned in unison towards Chris as she made her way towards them, warily eyeing the Master Gunny as she did so.

Chris stopped a couple of feet from them and gave Richards a quick, nervous glance before turning towards Jennifer. "Are you okay?"

Jennifer sighed and smiled, though it was far from a full and honest smile. "I'm fine," she replied half-heartedly. "Just a little tired."

Chris' eyes narrowed and for the second time in as many minutes Jennifer found herself being intensely scrutinized. She waited as Chris' emerald gaze swept over her face and then up and down her body.

_Did her eyes hesitate at my stomach?_ Jennifer asked herself, the shock of her inner voice almost comical. _Couldn't have. It must've been my imagination._

Chris slowly turned to Richards, her eyes finding and holding his despite the anxiety her fidgeting fingers indicated she was feeling. "I…" She stopped and quickly looked down as she realized her fingers were twitching. She stilled them immediately and then cleared her throat and tried again. "Thank you," she said quietly as she looked up at Richards. "I…sometimes, well most of the time really, I don't think as much as I should before I go off in my own little world." She cast a quick smile at Jennifer as she added, "Jennifer can attest to that."

Jennifer smiled and nodded eagerly, a little too eagerly if the mock glare from Chris was any indication.

"And your advice," Chris said as she turned back to Richards, "is definitely worth listening to."

Richards gave the new doctor a hard calculating look that softened once he determined she was being truthful and was genuinely sorry. "We all have our moments, ma'am." He looked down to the SGC issue watch adorning his left wrist and the corner of his mouth turned downward. "I'm late for some weapons training," he said as he looked at Chris. "Would you mind escorting Dr. Keller to her quarters for me?"

Jennifer was stunned. It wasn't every day Dwayne Richards asked someone to do something for him in such a way. It was even rarer that he'd lost track of time or gotten distracted so that he was late for something. In fact, she couldn't remember that ever happening. Jennifer couldn't help but smile at the faith he was putting in her friend and the chance he was giving her to make amends. One day she would have to explain to Chris just how momentous it really was.

Chris smiled widely and nodded enthusiastically. "I'd love to. We've only barely started to catch up."

The big Marine nodded and took in both Jennifer and Chris in a sweeping glance. "Doctors," he said in way of a good-bye before turning on his heel and heading down the corridor towards a transporter.

Jennifer watched the Marine disappear into the transporter and nearly jumped when Chris brought her into a surprising and tight hug.

"Oh my God!" Chris whispered excitedly into Jennifer's ear. "Why didn't you tell me you're pregnant?"

Jennifer smiled and returned the hug before saying, "I did try, Chris."

Chris' hands moved onto Jennifer's shoulders and gently pushed her back so that she could look at Jennifer. "When?" Before Jennifer could answer Chris was shaking her head. "It doesn't matter." Chris used her slender index finger to tuck her raven locks behind her right ear. "I'm so sorry, Jennifer," she said softly when she met Jennifer's gaze a moment later. "I shouldn't have…"

"It's alright, Chris," interrupted Jennifer. When Chris tried again Jennifer shook her head. "I mean it. Besides," she added with a bit of a smirk, "Rodney does have a reputation, even if some of it isn't deserved."

Both women laughed at that, but Chris' laugh abruptly ended and before Jennifer knew it her friend was prodding her along the corridor.

"What are you doing, Chris?" asked Jennifer as they reached the transporter. She glared at her friend and demanded an answer to her question with raised eyebrows.

Chris shrugged and glanced down the corridor, the way Richards had gone, before looking at Jennifer and saying, "I told him I'd take you home, and I think I'd better do it." Her eyes flitted nervously down the corridor again. "And he doesn't seem to be the type to just brush off when you make him a promise."

Jennifer laughed again and stepped into the transporter. She reached over and pushed the blinking light indicating the living area and faced forward. She put her left arm around Chris' shoulders and said as the doors closed, "I've missed you, Chris."

"I've missed you, too," said Chris as the telltale flash of light washed over them. The doors opened and they found themselves in a new corridor. "Wow."

Jennifer was about to step into the corridor but Chris' voice stopped her.

"Jen?"

When Jennifer looked at her she became concerned to see Chris suddenly looking very troubled. "What is it, Chris?"

Chris looked into Jennifer's eyes and said deadpan, "How are you going to help me with the men around here if you're," she held arms out in front of her to simulate an inflated belly, "pregnant?"

Jennifer stared into Chris' eyes and for a moment she believed that Chris was being serious, that is until the right corner of Chris' mouth quivered.

"Oh I don't know," said Jennifer as she turned away and stepped out of the transporter. She started walking down the corridor and said over her shoulder, "I'm sure we'll think of something."

Jennifer smiled as she heard the pitter patter of Chris' feet on the deck as her friend rushed to catch up to her.

Chris fell into step beside her and said, "I'm sure we will too." She clapped her hands together in front of her and said with a hint of mischievousness in her voice, "We always did."

End.


End file.
